No Time Like the Present
by ivywatcher
Summary: Buffy and Giles take off to London for the Watcher's 25th class reunion. But they soon learn that evil never takes vacations as they face a classmate that no one can remember and a mysterious leather satchel. Meanwhile, can Sunnydale survive without them?
1. Prologue

_**No Time Like the Present**_

**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ **

**Prologue**

**_"Dying is a very dull, dreary affair. And my advice to you is to have nothing whatever to do with it."_**

**_--W. Somerset Maugham_**

_**  
**_

Trevor Anaheim knew with sickening, crystal clarity that he was about to die.

It wouldn't be a soft, quiet death; he wouldn't just fall asleep one night when he was old and gray and fail to wake up the next morning. And it wouldn't be from natural causes, either. No, Trevor was going to die because he was running pell-mell down a London alley with a leather satchel over his shoulder whose contents he had no business possessing, let alone dying for.

Yet that was what was going to happen, and as the footsteps behind him increased their pace, he felt the bitter irony of the sacrifice he was about to make. Not because of his death; every Watcher expected to be killed in the line of duty. His sacrifice was one that countless other Watchers had accepted: a silent death for greater purpose…that no one would ever remember.

The footsteps were gaining on him now, but he did not dare turn around, his heart hammering in his ears and his breaths coming in painful gasps. Still running and stumbling, Trevor opened the brass snap of the satchel with shaking hands. The runes etched into the leather glowed with a soft light, but even with the illumination Trevor didn't try to translate them. He'd never had time to sit down and look at them like he'd planned.

As the flap opened and the contents of the satchel released their telltale glow, he wondered, one more time, if what he was doing was the right thing to do.

Blinding light enclosed him, and Anaheim saw the universe. In that one excruciatingly beautiful split second before he joined it, he realized a very important thing. It didn't matter if what he did was right or not…because it was the only thing that could be done.

And it _had _to be done.

When the footsteps rounded the corner, they found an empty alley. No man, no blood…and no satchel.

Trevor Anaheim had given the ultimate sacrifice. But in one small respect, he had been in error. Though it would take many, many days longer than it should have, he _would_ be remembered.

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**Author's Note: Welcome to the new story! We'll see how it goes. I can't tell you how long it's going to be or how long it'll take us to get there, but I assure you that it'll be a fun time. I've never had as much fun writing something as I have the first few chapters of this story so far. I hope that feeling transfers to you as a reader. So buckle in, welcome back and enjoy your stay! I can't wait to see what's in store.**  



	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

_**"Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end."**_

_**--Seneca**_

Rest View Cemetery, Sunnydale's largest graveyard, was disturbingly quiet. No undead, vampire or otherwise, had shown itself in over three weeks. The silent tombstones stood like stone guardians over the spirits resting beneath the green lawn, and a summer breeze ruffled the leaves of the stately oak trees strewn across the grassy expanse. It was a beautiful summer night, and Buffy Summers, Vampire Slayer extraordinaire, was bored out of her living mind.

The petite blonde strolled down a row of knee-high tombstones, wooden stake swinging loosely in one hand. She wore conservative, beat-up tennis shoes, not-so-conservative denim shorts and a white tank top to accommodate the heat of June in California. She was ready to pack it in for the night, but she determined to do one last sweep of the northeast corner of the cemetery before she went to report another undead no-show patrol to Giles.

She'd almost skipped out on her route all together, but caution born of long habit--and more importantly a desperate need to get away from her boyfriend--had propelled her out into the night. Buffy stifled a sigh and her pace slowed. She and Riley had been on thin ice ever since Dracula came to town, and things were only getting worse. The fight they'd had before she left on patrol had been one of their worst…and Buffy had the feeling it might have been their last. His angry voice still echoed in her ears.

---

"_Fine!" Riley cried, standing from the couch and marching towards the front door. "Go patrol! Go do your _sacred duty." _Buffy winced at the venom he put behind those two words._

_"I have to do this, Riley! It's just patrol!"_

_His eyes were sad and more than a little bitter. "Yeah, well, 'just patrol' is a lot more important than 'just Riley' these days, isn't it."_

_Something inside Buffy snapped and she finally rose to her boyfriend's bait. "What is your problem? What are you, a two year old? Get over it, Riley! I'm stronger than you! I'm faster and smarter and stronger than you, because I'm the Slayer." Her voice softened and she looked at him with large, wounded eyes. "I thought you said that you were OK with that. With…with me."_

_Riley held her eyes for a long moment…and then he shook his head and walked to the door again. His voice was soft and he didn't turn around, but Buffy could hear him clear as day. "Well maybe I was wrong." The door slammed behind him, and Buffy, surprisingly dry-eyed, stood from the couch and collected her stake from the coffee table. _

_She had a job to do._

---

A low rustling noise sounded from behind a crypt in the very corner of the cemetery. Nerves on edge, senses heightened to their fullest extent, Buffy crept forward with all the stealth of her Slayer ancestry. She stopped, pressing herself to the side of the crypt, and listened. She couldn't hear anything, but the thing on the other side could have heard her approach. With one last, cleansing breath, Buffy pivoted around the corner to see—

Nothing.

With a stifled curse of frustration, Buffy stomped off to her Watcher's apartment.

-----

Buffy knocked on Rupert Giles' door after she had it halfway open. "Hey Giles!" 

"Ah, Buffy," came his cultured British voice from the kitchen. "Get the mail out of my box, would you? I didn't have a chance to collect it earlier."

Buffy stuck an arm outside to do as she was told, collecting a large stack of envelopes and what looked like the newest volume of a trendy camping magazine. From the looks of things, he hadn't "had a chance" to collect his mail since some time last week. She shut the door behind her with a foot as she moved back inside, setting the mail on her Watcher's desk and sidling over to the open-air kitchen.

Giles met her half way, coming into the living room with a tea tray. Buffy took note of what he considered summer clothing: a worn gray T-shirt and comfortable jeans, with socked feet to complete the look. "Anything to report from patrol?"

His Slayer shrugged moodily and sat on the sofa, propping her feet up on the coffee table. "Nothing."

He raised an eyebrow at her and set the tray next to her feet. "Nothing at all?"

"Zilch. Nada. Complete lack of any undead." She made a frustrated noise and used several more hand gestures than were strictly necessary to make her point.

Giles smothered a smile and moved to his desk, leaning on it as he took out his journal and made a very brief notation. "I know it must be frustrating for you, but a quiet month is in our best interests, don't you think?" He picked up his mail and started sorting through it, tossing each item either straight into his trashcan or setting it on the desk next to him.

Buffy watched this process with an almost hypnotic interest. "I guess. I just hate not being able to pummel something." Trash. Desk. Desk. Trash.

Giles cocked his head at her with mild concern. "Is there something wrong?" Trash. Trash. Desk. Trash.

She sighed and stood, relocating to the arm of the couch that was only a few feet from him. For a moment she considered telling him about Riley, but she brushed the notion away. He wouldn't want to here about her failing romance, and she didn't know anything for sure yet anyway. "Not really. Just feeling kind of useless sitting around like this."

He nodded sympathetically and continued his sorting. Desk. Trash. Desk. Desk…

Buffy looked up at the lack of a forthcoming envelope to see Giles staring at the one in his hand. "Giles?" He didn't answer, and she moved to his side to see the address written on the front. He tilted it without conscious thought so she could read it. Buffy's face blanched. "It's from the Council."

This finally tore Giles out of his daze, and he shook his head. "From the Watcher's Academy, not the Council. Though I have no idea why anyone there would--" he broke off as a look of horror flew across his face. "Oh, dear Lord. Buffy, what's the date?"

Her brow crinkled. "June tenth. Why?"

Her Watcher cursed. "I should have known."

Buffy's concern mounted. "Giles, what's going on?"

He gave a defeated sigh and whipped off his glasses to rub his forehead. "Unless I'm very much mistaken, this is an invitation to my 25th class reunion."

"Oh." Buffy's concern melted into confusion at his apparent distress. "What's the big deal? It's over in England anyway, right? Just ignore it! Or tell them you can't come."

He sighed again and moved to the couch, pouring himself a cup of tea before sitting down and ripping open the heavy off-white envelope. "I'm afraid it's not that simple. I graduated as Head Boy, which means I am all but required to attend."

Buffy sat next to him with a mischievous grin. "Why doesn't that surprise me?" He just glared at her. After a moment of consideration, she offered, "Can't you just say you don't have enough air miles or something?"

Giles' expression brightened. "Now that's an idea. Unless…" He trailed off and removed a sheaf of papers and a colored brochure from the envelope. Casting the brochure aside, he sifted through several thick pieces of paper before he found what he was looking for. He reached for his glasses, only to find Buffy holding them out to him with a friendly taunt in her eyes. He managed a small smile of thanks and slipped them on. Giles spent a moment skimming the small type before leaning back, shaking his head. "They're paying for it." The disgust in his voice was more venomous than the usual ire he directed towards his former employers.

"No _way!_" Buffy cried incredulously. "They're spending all that money just to get you to a school reunion?"

Giles handed the paper to her wordlessly and she read the paragraph under the heading labeled "Travel Expenses":

"Out of respect for the importance of this occasion, the Academy will personally finance any travel expenses for both you and your guest. Please contact the Financial Office with your travel plans and complete total of expenses by no later than June 20th. Lodging will be provided at the Academy (or at a hotel or private residence of your choice off-campus). If you do not intend to stay at the Academy, inform the Financial Office of this as well, and we will ensure that accommodations will be made…"

Buffy shook her head at the paper like the whole thing was its fault. "Did they like totally miss out on the smart genes? They won't rehire you, but they'll pay to fly you all the way to England so you can sit around talking about the good old days!" She read the first sentence again. "What do they mean, 'your guest'? You can bring someone?"

Giles nodded absently, scanning through the other papers. "It lasts a _week!_" he cried in scandalized tones. "I can't leave you lot here on your own for a week!"

Buffy stuck her tongue out at him. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, Giles." He looked up to back pedal, but he caught the glint in her eye that showed she was only teasing. He settled for a glare instead.

His Slayer took a deep breath, looking hesitant. Giles sighed and leaned back, the sound rather resigned. "Go on. Ask."

"How old are you?" The words came out in a rush, like she'd been dying to say them for years.

He paused for a moment and decided on a roundabout answer. "I was nineteen when I graduated."

Her pretty face creased in thought again as she did some mental math. Apparently she came to a shocking answer because her voice was surprised when she exclaimed, "You're only forty-four?"

Giles looked up, positively stunned at her wording. It took him a couple false starts before he managed to stutter out, "O-_Only_?"

Buffy shrugged and looked away to avoid his eyes. "I just figured…" she couldn't find a way to end that sentence without digging herself into a hole. She switched topics. "What are you going to do there for a week?"

Giles gave her a look that said he knew exactly what she was doing, but he answered anyway. "Only three of the days are spent at the Academy. But considering I'd have to set aside an entire day to get there, a day to get settled and checked in, and one more at the end since my connecting flight probably wouldn't leave until a day after the whole debacle ends…" he trailed off in despair, letting his head fall back to rest on the couch.

Buffy watched him for a long moment, an idea forming in the back of her hazel eyes. It was crazy, and more than a little foolhardy, and of course Giles would never approve. But it was also a way to pay back her Watcher for some of the things he'd done for her. Besides, she was dying to get out of Sunnydale--OK, to get away from Riley--for a while. And what girl in her right mind would pass up a free trip to England?

That clinched it. She'd get everything ready and then talk to him tomorrow. Before she moved again, Buffy snuck a look at the brochure on the coffee table. According to the opening paragraph, the reunion would span the 8th-10th of July.

The Slayer stood and stretched, trying hard to act casual so she wouldn't set his plan-detecting radar off too soon. "I'm going to scram, Giles. Bedtime for Buffy. See you tomorrow for training?"

He stood up, clearly still preoccupied, and walked her to the door. "Yes, good night, Buffy. Some sparring tomorrow, perhaps."

She gave him a smile so bright that it left him a little dazed. "It's a date!" With that, she kissed him on the cheek and bounced out the door.

Giles stared after her in shock, his fingers touching the place she'd kissed him, for over a minute before he remembered to close the door.

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**Author's Note: I should warn you now, I'm not sure if this will end up B/G or not. I know it really looks like it will be, and I'm sort of hoping the story arc will swing this way. But I'm leaving this strictly in the hands of fun and what I feel like writing at the time (call this my summer vacation story), so we'll have to wait and see! Drop me a line and tell me what you think. Chapters 2 and 3 will be out within the next week or so. Cheers!**


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**"_The psychic task which a person can and must set for himself is not to feel secure, __but to be able to tolerate insecurity."_**

_**--Erich Fromm**_

Giles was distracted and distant for most of the next day at the Magic Box. Even as he rang up a customer making a substantial purchase he only managed the most cursory of pleasantries, the upcoming reunion weighing heavily on his mind. He enjoyed the idea of seeing several of his old school friends again, but the thought of leaving the Hellmouth for an entire week was enough to make him shudder. His concern dwelled less on demon activity (the others could easily handle patrol for a few days if this total lack of any demon presence kept up), or even with leaving the Magic Box in Anya's admittedly capable hands. No, he was very much afraid that the problem rested more on his own worries than anything else.

While it seemed ridiculous even to his own mind, Giles was quietly terrified that if he left for a week, the others would finally understand that he wasn't needed in their lives. A week of coping without him, and they would realize that he served no purpose other than to pass out tea at their meetings. It was an old fear, but even accepting Buffy's request to become her Watcher again was not enough to put it completely to rest.

Even worse, if that was possible, was the thought of showing up at the reunion alone, only to be forced to meet his old chums' spouses and children and hear about their latest accomplishments. While being the Watcher of the active Slayer was certainly considered an esteemed office, any regard that title would normally generate would be tempered by said Slayer and her Watcher's decision to turn their backs on the Council. He and Buffy's distinct lack of regard for the entire organization was bound to bring up some pointed (and, he suspected, heated) conversations that he was not at all sure he wanted to face.

All in all, Giles felt that staying here with his new shop and the others was a much better use of his time. Decision made, he let his mind wander, just for a moment, into memories of England.

That was how Buffy found him as she entered the Magic Box: leaning against the counter, weight resting on his elbows, glasses in his fingers, green eyes gazing into space and completely oblivious to the very-close-to-inappropriate sales pitch Anya was giving a customer in the fertility charms section only a few feet away. As Buffy made her way across the shop towards him, the conversation she'd had with Willow and Tara just an hour before played through her mind.

---

Buffy, Willow and Tara had gone out for lunch at their favorite mocha bar, and Buffy had discussed her idea with them.

"Will," she said thoughtfully, sipping her chocolate shake, "If, hypothetically, I was going to be gone for a while, would you guys be able to house-sit for the second week in July?"

"Oh!" Willow squealed. "A trip! Where?"

Buffy held up a hand. "We'll get to that. But if I go depends on if you two can be around."

The couple exchanged a look, and then Tara nodded. "I suppose we could, but what about your mother? Won't-won't she be at the house?"

Buffy shook her head. "Mom's going to be at some big art conference in San Francisco. Dawn was already planning on being in L.A. to stay with our dad, so that's all covered."

Willow's brow creased. "Wouldn't you rather have Giles be there?"

The Slayer took another drink of her shake, making no attempts to hide her smug expression. "If things work out, Giles will be the same place I am."

Willow squealed again and leaned forward. "Spill!"

Her best friend leaned forward as well and lowered her voice even though there was no one around to eavesdrop. "Giles got invited to his 25th class reunion in England. The Watcher's Academy is paying to get him and _a guest_," she emphasized, wiggling her eyebrows meaningfully, "over there for three days plus travel." She sat back, smiling triumphantly as Willow and Tara exchanged jealous noises.

"They're really paying for it?" Tara inquired.

Buffy made a face. "Yeah. Do they have screwed up priorities or what?"

The girlfriends exchanged another glance, and this time Willow answered. "We can hold the fort, Buff. But how are you going to convince Giles to even go to England for a week in the first place, let alone take you with him?"

Her friend gave a smile that spoke of devious intent. "I've got that part covered! I just wanted to check in with you guys to make sure everything else could work."

The look behind Tara's smile suggested that she had an inkling of Buffy's plans. She nodded vigorously. "We'll be here."

Buffy stood and gave them both a quick hug. "Thanks, you guys." That smile returned again and she slid her sunglasses out of her bag and put them on. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a Watcher to persuade."

"Buffy," Willow said right before her friend turned to leave, "What did Riley say about you leaving for a week?" The look in her green eyes let Buffy know that the witch already knew what her answer was going to be and she just wanted to hear it out loud.

The Slayer paused for a long moment before she answered with the words Willow expected. "Riley doesn't have a say, Will. Not any more."

---

"You know," Buffy remarked casually as she started her warm-up stretches, "I think this reunion thing could be good for you!"

Her Watcher stared at her from his place at the door of the training room. He desperately tried to ignore the small, cynical voice in his mind that mocked him, _See? She's getting rid of you already. _"Come again?"

"I think it'd be good for you to go," Buffy repeated, starting in on the punching bag. "It'd be kind of like a vacation, and you'd get to go back to England for a while."

"You're dropping your elbow," he replied absently. "And I hardly call three days at the Academy my idea of the perfect getaway."

Buffy raised her elbow and hit the bag with a quick left-right jab combo. "Don't you have friends there?"

He took a moment to frame his answer, obviously having difficulty choosing the right words. "Well…yes. Several in particular that I would very much like to see again, actually. But having to face the _rest _of my old classmates with thier...their spouses and children and awards in their chosen fields is something I'd rather avoid. I hardly find the idea of being forced to compare my life with theirs at every given opportunity an enthralling experience." Giles was feeling increasingly unbalanced by her tone; she sounded very much like she was serious about shipping him off to England for a week.

Buffy turned to him with a pout, putting her hands on her hips. "What's so bad about your life? You don't like it here?"

Giles was torn between asking her if she'd been around for the last four years and the need to reassure her. As usual, the latter won. He looked at her with serious eyes. "That's not what I meant, Buffy, and you know it. I can think of no other place I would rather be than here, in Sunnydale, with all of you." He removed the protective pads from his arms and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I've chosen my life here, Buffy. Never forget that." Some small voice in the back of his head wondered which one of them was over-reacting to what should have been a perfectly normal conversation. He shoved it away and ignored it.

Buffy smiled back, mollified, and squeezed the hand on her shoulder with one of hers. "So we're going?'

The sudden affectionate gesture threw Giles completely through a loop. "Hmm?" he managed.

Buffy beamed at him, purposely taking his vague noise as positive agreement. "Great! I have to decide what to pack, but it's not for another month anyway and--"

_That _brought Giles crashing back into reality. "What? Buffy, we are _not_—Wait." Her wording caught up with him. "What do you mean, are _we_ going?"

She resisted the urge to grin evilly and did her best to look innocent. "Well you can't go all by yourself, right? The Hellmouth's been like non-existent the entire summer, and the guys can live without us for a week. Besides, can you think of a better way to impress all your Watcher buddies than to bring the one and only Slayer along?" She looked at him with her best "isn't this a great idea?" expression and tried not to bounce impatiently on her toes.

His mouth opened and shut a few times, arguments queuing neatly in his brain in order of effectiveness. "Buffy, your mother--"

"Already said it was fine if I swear not to marry some English guy and never come home. She's going to be in San Francisco at some art thing, and Dawn is going to be spending some quality time with Dad. I was going to be all alone in the house anyway. The timing's perfect!"

Genuine alarm started to swirl behind his green eyes. This wasn't exactly what he'd had in mind when he'd mentally complained about going alone! He tried again. "Without either of us here for a week, the local undead could launch an attack that--"

"Oh come on Giles, it's been _dead_ around here! No action, no uprisings, no nothing since that Toth guy who did the splitty-thing to Xander. If something comes up we wouldn't be able to go anyway, but why not let the guys handle patrol for a couple of days? They've done it before, right?" They both winced internally at the reference to her summer absence several years before. Buffy continued anyway. "We could probably pay Spike to help with patrol if they needed it."

There was one last argument in his arsenal that Giles was sure she could not get around, and he deployed it. "And what does Riley have to say about all of this?"

She was silent for a long moment. "Riley…" she sighed heavily, some of her energy leaking out of her. "Riley hasn't gotten over the whole Dracula thing yet. I think…I think he finally figured out what dating the Slayer actually means, you know? He, um…we…we decided that we should get some space that's not…you know, around each other."

Giles squeezed her shoulder again, sympathy welling in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Buffy."

She shook her head. "I'm not. Not really." At his raised eyebrow, she shrugged, accidentally dislodging his hand. "It was gonna happen sooner or later, I think. He just figured that out before I did. He said to send him a postcard." She managed a small smile, her eyes sincere. "We're over, Giles. I think that being away from each other for a while will give us both the chance to get on with life, you know?"

Giles felt his determination crumbling dangerously; he'd been counting on Riley's opinion to back him up. He put up one more token resistance. "It'll be frightfully dull." His voice sounded pitiful even to his own ears.

Buffy smiled brightly, sensing her victory. She'd been practicing this conversation in her head for an entire day and it looked like her preparation was about to pay off. "It's _England_, Giles! I've never even been out of the States, except for some vacation to Mexico Dad dragged me on when I was eight. You can show me where you went to school and introduce me to all your old friends. It'll be fun!"

He looked her full in the eye and his voice turned quite serious. "You do realize, Buffy, that many of my old 'friends' are dedicated members of the Council, and will be none too pleased by our current, ah…well, our lack of relationship with anything having to do with them. It could be remarkably unpleasant."

Yes, that was the crux of the matter, really. The idea of walking into the Watcher's Academy and blithely exploiting the Council's dollar when he was labeled an outcast and a disgrace was enough to make his stomach turn. The thought of subjecting _Buffy _to that, of throwing her into a room with the proverbial pack of wolves, left him unaccountably panicky. She had no idea what she was asking.

Unaware of this entire thought process, Buffy carried on unabated. She gave him her most charming, hopeful smile. "Well maybe we can change their minds while we're there!" At his stubborn expression, she sighed and led him over to the couch, gesturing for him to sit and perching on the cushioned arm next to him. She had one avenue left, and it was the one she knew he could never resist: the betterment of her Slayer training. "This could be really educational for me, Giles. I mean, we'll be there, right where you learned everything that you're teaching me now, with a whole bunch of really smart people who can probably give me some good advice, right?" She saw his last resistance give way by the slump of his shoulders, and she finished with the final cherry on the sundae. "Besides, the Council is _paying_ for _our _vacation! How can you say no to that?"

Giles glared accusingly at her. "You've been planning this ever since I got that letter, haven't you."

She just smiled that smile she got after trapping a particularly troublesome demon. Giles wasn't at all sure he liked that comparison.

He tried to come up with something, _anything_ that could convince her not to come. Nothing came to mind. In fact, the longer Giles thought about it, the less reason he saw to fight her on this.

He watched her glowing face for a moment, silently enjoying the sight of so much positive energy from her. They hadn't seen each other nearly enough in the past months. Perhaps this was a chance for them to re-forge their relationship…on the Council's dollar. He couldn't help the grin that split his face, and finally he nodded. "As long as nothing apocalyptic appears before then, I suppose that getting away for a few days won't harm anyone."

It was well worth losing a bit of his pride (and a good portion of his logical thought process) to see the mega-watt smile that graced her face. She hugged him ecstatically, knocking the wind out of him as she nearly cracked one of his ribs. "YES! Thank you, Giles! It'll be great! I have to go tell Will!" She flew towards the door, stopping only long enough to ascertain, "You can handle the ticket stuff, right?"

He nodded, smiling outright now. "I'll take care of all the arrangements. I'll let you know the details once I've phoned to RSVP."

Buffy beamed at him and walked out into the shop, leaving Giles to watch after her, his smile still firmly in place. She wanted to do something with _him_. He was valuable, to her at least. That thought was enough to get him standing. He looked around at the empty training room. "I never really stood a chance, did I?"

None of the weapons or equipment answered, but Giles was already out of the room and heading towards the register to ring up a woman buying six different fertility charms. When he noticed the look of proud accomplishment on Anya's face, he deliberately decided not to ask.

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**Author's Notes: ** **I know that not a ton has happened, but frankly without these scenes about Giles and Buffy's thought processes, none of the rest of the story would be even vaguely credible. In any case, tell me what you thought of this chapter; the next one will mark the introduction of a few of the important original characters in this story. Cheers! **


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

_** "The eyes are not responsible when the mind does the seeing."**_

_**--Publilius Syrus**_

Giles entered his apartment after work several days later to find a message waiting for him on his answering machine. He pressed the Play button and loosened his tie, walking into the kitchen as the message started. "Rupert! It's Ari! Remember me? Head Girl, pain in the neck through most of your schooling experience?"

Giles stopped and stared at the machine for a long moment as if he could see his old school friend through it. Several years of memories flashed through his mind in rapid succession, most of which he hadn't thought about in years. A smile crept across his face without him noticing and stayed there as he turned to the kitchen to make tea while he listened.

She continued, her perfect tone warped slightly by the recording. "I'm not sure if you've gotten your Academy packet about this bloody reunion yet, but I can't imagine the mail being _that_ slow, even in California. Anyway, I wanted to invite you to stay at my house while you're here, since I'm guessing you got roped into coming as well. It'd give us a chance to catch up. And if you bring someone," and here her voice turned sly, "I have an extra room…or, if you want to share, that's fine with me too."

He shook his head and filled the kettle. It would seem that some things, at least, never changed. Sadly, his friend's teasing nature was one of them.

Ari's voice carried on as if they'd spoken every day since they'd graduated. "Please do call me back, I'd love to hear from you." She left her number and one last parting shot. "Really, Rue, please come. I know you're probably trying to find a way out of it, but if you don't show up I'll be forced to suffer through three days of mind-numbingly dull conversation with a group of people that I have nothing in common with except the year of our graduation. Don't worry about the time difference; I'll probably be up anyway. Oh! And Sam said to tell you that if you don't come he'll be very upset with you. Ciao!"

Giles chuckled at Ari's characteristic meshing of British and American terms and saved the message, vaguely registering that at some point in the last eight years or so he'd stopped missing her and that all of a sudden he was again. Nostalgia invaded his mind. Long-abandoned memories of his school days and the faces of his old friends absorbed him with surprising intensity. The Watcher completely lost track of time; for the first time he could remember, Buffy's arrival in from patrol completely slipped his mind until she knocked on his door. Without any particular focus, Giles sat her down on the couch with a cup of tea and played the message for her.

Buffy listened without comment, and this time Giles scribbled down the number Ari recited at the end. Buffy's eyebrows wrinkled as the message ended. "Who is she?"

A faraway look entered his eyes. "Arianna Ryans. She and I were Head Boy and Girl, so we spent a good amount of time together during our years at the Academy. We were top of the class, had to attend all the social events together and make a speech at graduation." An absent smile drifted over his face at the memory. He continued before Buffy could butt in. "She was the first American to become Head Girl."

The note of pride in his voice made Buffy feel slightly jealous, though of what she had no idea.

Giles didn't seem to notice as he continued, "We were quite close up until we lost track of each other, several years before I came here."

Buffy glared indignantly at him. "Wait! Your best friend in high school was an American, and you still look at us like we're insane?"

Giles raised an eyebrow at her. "Shall I answer that or just move on?" He grinned at her glare and shook his head. "Unless you listened closely, it was impossible to tell she wasn't British. By the time we graduated, she only spoke with an American accent if she got particularly upset."

"We don't have _accents, _Giles. You British people are the ones who don't talk normal." Buffy pouted a moment longer and then gave it up. "So what about staying with her? Is her house big enough? Does she have kids or a husband or parents or something that we'd be barging in on?"

He shook his head, looking rather impressed by her consideration. "She wouldn't have offered if she couldn't put us up. As far as I know, she isn't married and she certainly doesn't have children, unless she's been neglecting to tell me something. The only companion she had last time we spoke was a recently acquired Saint Bernard puppy named Augustus."

"When was that?"

"About two years ago," he admitted sheepishly. "I called her, when you…" Giles made a vague gesture in her direction, unable to finish the sentence.

His Slayer sighed, filling in the blank. "When I ran away?"

He nodded, sitting on the coffee table diagonal from her. "We didn't speak for more than five minutes; I was in a bit of a rush at the time. In any case, I'd think that you would much prefer her hospitality to a hotel."

Buffy considered this a moment before nodding reluctantly in assent. "I was kind of looking forward to charging the Council for a whole bunch of hotel expenses, though."

"Hmm," Giles agreed with sparkling eyes. She caught his look and grinned. For some reason the gaze lasted longer than usual and Buffy felt the sudden need to break it.

"So who's Sam?"

An odd expression--part amusement, part exasperation and part affection--flicked across Giles' face; it was a lot like the look he got when he talked about Xander, actually. "Samuel Boards. We were roommates for virtually our entire time at the Academy. He was a very good friend. He got married soon after we graduated and we…well, we lost touch." Giles wasn't prone to bouts of introspection (at least not without alcohol or long periods of boredom being involved), but he found himself once again drawn into memories. For a long few minutes that grew a bit uncomfortable, he and Buffy were both silent.

In her usual manner, Buffy avoided the discomfort by switching subjects. She sighed and waved her nearly empty cup of tea, flopping back onto the couch. "Go ahead and call." The thing she really wanted to ask: "Why don't you ever talk about them?" stayed in her head; she knew she was lucky that he answered any of her questions at all. _No need to push it, _she reminded herself.

Giles checked the clock, assuring that he'd be calling in the daylight hours despite Ari's assurance that she would be available. He used the speakerphone to dial the long-distance number and waited as the inevitable pause followed while his call was routed through. Arianna picked up the phone at the end of the fifth ring. Her voice, unobstructed by an overused tape, was even and musical, but as the conversation wore on Buffy nearly got a headache from the way the woman seemed to slip in and out of a British accent without conscious thought. "Arianna Ryans."

Giles couldn't keep the mild horror out of his voice. "Dear Lord, you cut your hair!"

Buffy stared at him in bemusement, but Ari laughed. "I'm not even going to ask how you knew that. You sound even more Americanized than the last time I spoke to you! I applaud the change. How are you, Rue?"

Buffy blinked at the nickname. It bothered her that it kind of fit.

Her Watcher didn't seem to think anything of it. "Feeling much more optimistic about this whole debacle after your call. Buffy and I would be glad to accept your hospitality."

There was a telling pause on Ari's end of the line. "Buffy? As in…"

Giles motioned that Buffy should speak for herself, and the Slayer leaned forward to speak into the phone hesitantly. "Buffy Summers, yeah."

The other woman's voice was warm with approval. "It's an honor, Ms. Summers. I was nearly jumping off the walls in glee when I heard that you'd talked Rupert into calling the Council quits."

Buffy grinned approvingly. She liked this lady. "You can call me Buffy."

"As long as you call me Ari."

"Deal." Buffy caught her Watcher's eye as she said, "We'd love to stay with you, but I'm kinda bummed that we don't get to send in a bill for a really expensive hotel."

Ari laughed again. "Tell you what: you get first class tickets both ways, and I think it'll balance out."

Buffy looked at Giles, impressed. "I like the way she thinks!"

Mischief laced the voice coming through the phone. "So I only need to set up the one room, right?"

Buffy coughed and Giles nearly choked on the tea he'd been sipping, both of them turning an uncanny shade of red. Ari enjoyed the sounds of their discomfort for a moment before giving in. "Oh fine, I'll dust off the second guest room."

Giles cleared his throat a few times. "Thank you," he finally managed, sending Buffy an apologetic look.

"Any time," came his friend's glib reply. "Rue, I hate to cut this short, but I'm going to be late for work if I don't leave soon. Ring me once you have your schedule, will you?"

"Certainly. Try not to have too much fun." That grin was back on Giles' face again: the one that said he was clearly teasing, but also carried a depth of completely unfathomable (for Buffy at least) emotion.

"Heaven forbid," Arianna replied wryly. "It was a pleasure to talk to you, Buffy. I'll be seeing you soon."

"Bye," Buffy replied, still caught up in her Watcher's expression.

"Ciao," Giles added.

"Ciao," Ari responded with a smile in her voice. A click sounded as she hung up and the line went dead.

Giles shook his head and went to refill his tea, a smile still hovering around the corner of his mouth, but Buffy stayed seated, staring after her Watcher with a thoughtful expression on her face. Her mind had begun to drift down an avenue it never had before in relation to her Watcher.

As Giles stepped into the kitchen, Buffy Summers inadvertently stumbled upon a revelation.

-----

Unlike Buffy's usual revelations, this one took several minutes to let its impact be completely known. This one, sheltered by just over four years of preconception, had a bit of build-up to soften the blow.

Buffy couldn't remember the last time she'd seen Giles laugh or smile as much as he had in the five minutes their conversation with Arianna Ryans had lasted. The woman certainly had a knack for making people feel at ease -- Buffy felt like she'd known Ari for years and they'd only spoken for a few moments over the phone -- but the responses she invoked from Giles were more than that. He moved and acted visibly lighter when he spoke with his old schoolmate. It was a good look on him; humor made his eyes sparkle and when he smiled he looked at least ten years younger. Buffy half-sighed as she thought of that smile. It made her feel warm and safe and--

Buffy blinked. Where the heck had _that _come from?

When had she started thinking all these warm and fuzzy thoughts about Giles? She moved to the kitchen and leaned on the doorframe, an odd role reversal as she watched him go through the comfortingly familiar motions of putting the kettle on. For the first time in…well, _ever…_the Slayer looked Rupert Giles over with a critical eye.

He was tall, and definitely in shape from their training. He had good eyes, and the lines on his face were caused by emotion—laughter and sadness, smiles and tears. Yes, Buffy decided, Giles was more than capable of causing warm and fuzzy feelings. _Just not in me, _she reminded herself._ Because I'm his Slayer and it doesn't work that way._ _…Right?_

_Right,_ she agreed with herself. Her eyes drifted to Giles again, taking in his legs. They looked longer in jeans. She wondered why she'd never noticed be—_I'm doing it again!_

The full impact of her revelation finally hit her along with a cold dose of reality, barreling into her with the velocity of a freight train coming around a mountain bend with no breaks and smoke coming off the wheels. She was _eyeing Giles!_ She was checking out her Watcher!

The train careened around her mental bend and left her a moment of quiet to think. She had just been _checking out_ her _Watcher_…. And, Buffy realized, she was still OK with that, even though the train was now chugging contentedly back towards the horizon of her subconscious.

Well. This was new. And hey, at least it wasn't serious or anything. It was totally fine to notice that Giles looked niced. Because that was all it was--casual appreciation. Buffy gave herself a mental pat on the back; that had to be the easiest revelation she'd ever had!

Besides, it wasn't like she needed to feel guilty or anything, now that Riley was...well. She didn't want to think about Riley now. She could only handle so many issues at once, after all.

Giles looked over at her and the emotion he saw playing across her face made him mildly uneasy, though he wasn't sure why. "Buffy?" She didn't answer and he moved towards her in concern. "Buffy!" He waved his hand in front of her face and her hazel eyes cleared.

"Sorry!" She said with a quick shake of her head. "I totally spaced for a second. Did you say something?"

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Are you sure you're well? You seem rather…distant. Something on your mind?"

"I'm fine," Buffy assured him with a weak smile. She patted his left arm, which was resting on the doorframe just above her shoulder. "Just thinking."

"About anything in particular?" He inquired, guessing her thoughts were dwelling on her parting with Riley. Neither of them moved, and her hand stayed on his arm. Giles had no idea what was going on, and he found himself searching her face for something that would explain her suddenly introspective mood.

But then she stepped away and the moment was lost, and Giles felt a release of tension that he hadn't even been aware of until it was flowing out of him. What in the world was going on?

Buffy retreated to the sofa and Giles followed slowly, pondering the depths of his mug. He sat next to her and they both stared straight ahead for several minutes without speaking, more or less comfortable with the silence.

Buffy finally broke the quiet. "What should I pack?"

Giles looked up from his tea at this apparent non sequitur "Sorry?"

"What's the weather going to be like while we're there? I have to know what to pack for the premium English experience!"

"Ah," Giles replied, finally following her line of thought. "You'll want to pack for rain. It's rather likely that's the only thing we'll see the entire week we're there."

She made a face. "Cold rain?" An entire week of freezing rain was not exactly her idea of the dream vacation.

"Perhaps," he replied, his mind settled on a memory far outside the walls of his apartment, "Though between the humidity and the oppressive heat the rest of the time, you'll likely be quite warm."

Buffy was suddenly aware of how close they were sitting, their thighs almost touching. Even though they normally sat about this far away from each other, for some reason this time it made her a tiny bit self-conscious. Her brain kicked in with its natural response to that: babbling. "But they'll have air conditioning at the Academy, right? Or are they all 'Piff piff, the students should battle the elements from their…desks!'"

Giles raised an eyebrow at her. "Buffy, are you sure you're all right?"

"Yeah!" She responded brightly, bouncing off the couch and not quite meeting his eyes. "I'm great! Why?"

He stood as well, pegging her with his green gaze. "Unless I'm very out of practice listening to you, I believe you're babbling."

She turned to face him then, her urge to ignore his comment battling with the truth behind it. For once, the truth won. "It really has been a while, huh."

"Too long," he answered honestly, softening the remark with a small smile. After a moment of silence, he cleared his throat. "You should go. I imagine at the rate you pack, you'll need to start tonight."

Buffy knew when to pick her battles, and this—whatever this was that was going on—she had a feeling she couldn't win against it just yet. "I'll see you tomorrow," she agreed, heading out the door as quickly as possible without running.

This time, he didn't stand watching after her. Feeling a knot of unease building in his neck, Giles went to refresh his cup of tea and distract himself from thoughts of his Slayer. Buffy wasn't the only one who needed to start packing tonight.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Author's Note: Alright, so maybe this wasn't the average Buffy realization you're used to seeing, but I tried to make it authentic. The only problem is that (let's face it, people) Buffy's pretty much totally oblivious when it comes to this stuff, so bascially her realizing that Giles is a person with positive qualities is off-canon no matter how you look at it. But I tried, at least.**

** For those of you who are Riley fans, fear not: all is not as it seems. I like the guy too and he'll get his dues.  
**

**...How's that for a blatant plug for the next chapter? Tell me what you thought of this--and more particularly, tell me what you thought of Ari. Cheers.**


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**"_I know that you believe you understand what you think I said, but I'm not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant."_**

**--Robert McCloskey**

"Buffy, on your left!"

The Slayer spun on her toes at Willow's shout and instantly spotted her prey. "Got it!"

In a quick move that Giles would probably cite as an abuse of her Slayer agility, Buffy ducked around a soccer mom, jumped over a kneeling pre-teen and dove towards the bathing suit rack. She reached out with her fingertips and neatly snagged the teal two-piece she'd been after all morning right from under the nose of a surprised thirty-something woman who never would have fit into it anyway. Buffy turned away with her prize and smiled brightly at Willow, waving the swimsuit over her head.

Her friend clapped enthusiastically. They'd learned to take their girly shopping moments when they could get them, and this swimsuit was cute enough for serious celebration. Buffy dropped the suit into their nearly-full shopping cart and pushed her way through the throng around the summer wear.

Willow fingered a light sun dress as she pulled it out from the depths of the cart and refolded it. "I can't believe you got Giles' credit card! This is like—this is like getting the keys to the national treasury!"

Buffy gave her friend an indulgent smile; Willow's enthusiasm was catching, even after the hundredth time hearing it. "I don't think he gets paid _that _much, Will. Kinda unemployed for a year, remember?"

Willow waved her off in favor of pulling a well-folded piece of notebook paper from her pocket. Buffy let her off the hook and refolded a pair of jeans. "What else is on the list?"

Willow whipped out a small purple pen. "New sweatshirt and pants for the plane ride?"

Buffy rummaged around until she found the items in question near the bottom of the cart. "Right here."

Her best friend neatly crossed the items off her list and continued. "Jeans?"

"Check."

"Adorable teal top to go with the jeans for your Wednesday outfit?"

"Definitely check."

"Brown skirt and white top for impressing the stuffy Watchers on Thursday?"

"Double check," Buffy confirmed after extracting the skirt, refolding it and placing it on top of the pile.

Willow gave a satisfied nod. "And we got Friday morning and your two spare outfits covered…oh! Cute Giles-appropriate dress for the big dinner on Friday night?"

"Check," Buffy confirmed. It had a back on it and everything—it was totally stodgy enough for a Watcher party.

"Good," Willow bubbled. "So all we need now are those sunglasses with the sequins and--"

"Wait!" Buffy cried. "_Shoes! _I have absolutely no good shoes to go with the dress!"

Her friend's brow furrowed. "What about those ones you wore to--"

"Willow, those are black!"

The witch smacked herself on the forehead. "Right! OK, don't panic." She looked across the crowded store, thinking hard. Buffy wondered, not for the first time, if Willow would end up as a military strategist if they all survived the Hellmouth long enough to get real jobs. The redhead nodded in a determined way. "OK. You get the shoes, and I'll go get the sunglasses. I'll take the cart and get in line, and you can meet me there."

Buffy raised an amused eyebrow. "Who made you commando-Will?"

Willow pointed a stern finger at her friend. "Hey, you're the one who decided to go off to England with the stuffy Watcher! You have to take responsibility for your choices and accept the repercussions of vacationing. Especially since you're not bringing your bestest friend in the whole wide world," and here she gave a definite pout, "even when she volunteered to curl up in your suitcase."

Buffy gave in; she owed Will a whole ton of nice before she left. "I'll get the shoes," she conceded. "But I am so telling Giles that you called him stuffy!" She headed off through the crowded store.

It took the Slayer nearly fifteen minutes to find an appropriate pair of shoes in her size, finally deciding on some nice wood-bottomed sandals that were cheap enough that they assuaged her guilt a little over how much of Giles' money she'd spent today. She was so distracted with double-checking the price tag on the left shoe that she didn't notice there was someone standing behind her until it was too late. Buffy ran right into the solid form. A second later, she realized who it was and closed her eyes with a wince. "Riley."

"Hey, Buffy."

The Slayer took a deep breath and turned around, dread settling in her stomach even as she tried to fake a smile. His expression was just as sincere and happy to see her as it always was.

Because everything she'd told Giles about her and Riley being over was true.

She just hadn't told Riley that yet.

---

The satchel was sitting, apparently abandoned, right next to Harold Johnson's regular booth at the pub. The postman looked at it for a second before craning his neck around to see if it belonged to anyone. No one had taken his table once in the fifteen years he'd frequented this place. But there were no mugs on the table; not even coaster rings. He raised his voice above the neighborhood chatter and called over to the barkeep, "Bert! This ol' sack come in with someone?"

The old barkeep hobbled over. "Some bloke left if for yeh. Got a note on it. I'll get yeh your pint."

Harold scratched his head under his blue cap and sat in his seat, putting the satchel on the table before him. It was a pretty thing, and to someone that had never seen anything older than his grandmother, it had the feeling of richness to it. He let his fingertips trace over the weird pictures in the soft leather. He didn't once think of opening it. He'd learned a long time ago that a good postman kept his job by keepin' himself from being curious.

Something attached to the front clasp caught his eye. Sure enough, there was a little card, made out of the same stiff paper that the fancy notes in the store were. His name was written on it, all neat-like, in the loopy hand that they'd always tried to teach him back in school. Underneath his name was just the one sentence. "Please deliver to Arianna Ryans, 14, Winslow Lane, Bath." Inside the little folded note was a tenner. He whistled softly as he took it out.

Harold scratched his head again. He knew the place, alright. It was on his normal route.

Bert the barkeep came over himself with Harold's pint, plunking it down on the old wood table. "What's it say?"

Harold tilted it for the other man to read. Bert squinted at it for a second as he read, and then gave a dry chortle. "Well, some idjit didn't want to spend a quid on the post, so he gave it straight to the postman, eh? Who's this Ryans?"

The postman took a gulp of his beer. "Ah, she's a nice lady. Real classy, lives by herself with a honkin' big dog. She's always sendin' away for big books, and those real smart magazines. Guess she likes antique whats-its, too. "

Bert gave an arthritic shrug. "Well, best deliver it, eh? Seems like a decent gent would make it worth your while?"

Harold waved the tenner at him with a grin, but he looked at the satchel again with unease. "Still, seems off the rocker a touch, don't it? Why not just send it 'imself, if he's already here? What'd the bloke look like, who dropped it?"

Bert paused a second, his eyes clouding over. "Yeh know, I don't rightly remember. He looked rich, I remember that much. And I think he said somethin' about him needin' a service, or something 'long those lines...and he must've said to give it to yeh, because I put it right at your seat...but I can't recall what words he used, 'xactly." He shook his head, as if ridding himself of a pesky fly. "Ah well. Me old brain ain't as sharp as it used to be!"

He started back towards the bar and gave another dry laugh. "Eh, don't go worryin' yourself. There's a whole class o' smart folk out there who think they don't need nothin' but a couple quid to make the world spin any way they choose. The likes of us do best to just take the dough and let em worry about their own troubles. We got troubles enough on our own."

Harold nodded thoughtfully and looked at the strange satchel again, once again noticing the richness and glossiness of the leather. Then he thought of his wife at home,six months pregnant, and the new cradle he needed to buy, and the diapers they'd be needin' before too much longer.

He pocketed the tenner. Bert was right; best to deliver the thing and deal with his own troubles. He drank the rest of his beer in peace, his mind moved on to other, more important matters. He took the satchel with him as he left, surprised at how heavy it was.

In the shadows by the door, a man watched him leave. "Amazing what a tenner will buy," he muttered to himself.

No one heard him, mostly because no one could tell he was there.

---

Buffy was pretty sure her face was going to freeze from the smile she was forcing into the long, awkward silence she and Riley found themselves in on the way to the checkout line. Their fight from the other night hovered between them, like the big black storm clouds in the cartoons. He was holding a dress shirt over one arm, which was apparently all he needed to buy.

Buffy was desperately trying to think of a way to get rid of him before he saw the huge cart-full of clothes she was about to buy. With Giles' credit card.

He broke the silence first by clearing his throat nervously. "So, new shoes?"

She blew out a breath. "Um...yeah. And a bunch of other stuff." She realized that she could only stall so long. "Look, Riley...I'm gonna be gone for a couple days next month."

He blinked at her uncomprehendingly. "Gone? Where?"

She winced internally. "...England?"

"Woah." He shook his head once. "Does Giles know about this?" Then he shook his head again. "It's England, of course Giles knows."

"Yeah," Buffy said in what she thought was a pretty good casual voice. "Actually, he's coming too."

Riley stopped in the middle of the aisle; the woman behind him had to swerve her cart to avoid hitting him. For once, he didn't seem inclined to apologize. "Giles is going? Wow." He started walking again. "Seems like kind of a long way to go just for some training, doesn't it?"

Buffy thought about telling him that they were actually just going for Giles' class reunion, but then thought better of it. If Riley thought England was too far for _training_... "Uh...yeah! But you know Giles, with all that new determination to make me the bestest Slayer I can be and everything." She bit her bottom lip and looked up at him as they rounded one last corner and reached the front of the store. She had to talk a little louder to be heard over the chaos around them. "But maybe this is a good thing! It'll give us some time to--"

"What?" Riley shouted back. He obviously couldn't hear everything she was saying over the crowd around them. "Are you sure training is good for you right now? You've been focusing on it a lot lately!"

Buffy's Slayer hearing ensured that she could understand him. She felt a little pang of anger; this was their fight from the other night all over again. She heaved a sigh. "It's only for a couple days! Maybe we can think about some things while I'm gone! About us!" She spotted Willow in line five, only two people away from the counter. She caught the redhead's eye and waved, starting to make her way over.

"I won't make a fuss! But I don't think you leaving is a good idea!" Riley replied, following at her heels. It took Buffy a second to realize that he hadn't heard the whole sentence again. "But thanks for asking my opinion!"

It was like she was speaking Latin or something. They reached Willow, and Buffy decided to exercise the better part of valor; she chickened out and stopped talking.

Riley smiled at Willow in greeting before looking back down at Buffy. He spoke softer this time, and Buffy realized they should have just done that before, because it was much easier to hear him as he said, "Look, I'm sorry about the other night, OK? And if this training thing is what you need to do, then I'm behind you all the way. I just want what's best for you. I'll hang around here and try to survive without you for a couple days while you go do the better Slayer thing."

He was so sincere, looking at her with his honest eyes and gentle expression, that for a moment Buffy just wanted to kiss him and let everything be better again.

But something inside her said that it would only be a patch, a quick fix until this just came up again. And as much as she didn't want to admit it to herself, in her heart, Buffy knew that it was true.

She just couldn't tell him that. Not yet. Not here.

Buffy made a silent deal with herself. _I'll tell him when we get back. I promise. And maybe it'll all seem OK by then. _

She knew, even as she tried to convince herself, that she was just putting off the inevitable.

For now, she was alright with that. With a look at Willow, who was watching them oddly, she stepped forward and started loading items onto the conveyor belt.

If Riley noticed that she never answered him, he didn't bring it up.

Buffy took a deep breath and pushed the thoughts of her mind. She was going to need all her brain power as it was to explain to Giles why his credit bill tripled this month. Despite the uneasy presence of Riley beside her, she couldn't help but smile. She was going to England!

Buffy had never needed a vacation more in her life. She needed to get away: from Dawn's annoying attention stunts, from the routine patrols, from Riley, from the mess that was her life in Sunnydale.

Willow saw the expression on her friend's face as they loaded the bags of freshly-bought items back into their cart. "Buffy? What is it?"

"Nothing," the Slayer said with a shake of her head. She spoke low enough so Riley couldn't hear her. "I just can't wait to be a normal person for a couple of days."

"Four whole days with no undead badness!" Willow agreed excitedly. "You so deserve a vacation!"

They exited into the bright summer air of the parking lot as the Wiccan grinned. "So, can I be there when you show all this to Giles?"

---

Two thousand miles away, Harold Johnson delivered an old satchel to 14, Winslow Lane, Bath. Unbeknownst to her, Buffy's vacation had just become anything but normal.

* * *

**Author's Note: I know that it's taken me half of forever to update this story. Hopefully, I'll be doing so more consistantly now! I do love it, and it's so much fun to write that I hope to spend a bit more time on it in the coming weeks. In the mean time, drop a line and tell me how I did. Buffy and Riley almost-but-not-quite breaking up was hard to write. Tell me what you thought!**


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